A wide range of map-based services are being offered to users through web browsers, search engines, and as applications. Users may access the map-based services for street maps, a route planner, and a planner for traveling by foot, vehicle, or public transport. Furthermore, the users now have access to an urban business locator for countries around the world.
The request for map-based services has become a common activity in people's daily lives. Many users request the map-based services through a search engine on a computing device or downloaded on a personal navigation device. The requests for map-based services by the users are made prior to driving to an appointment or an event at an unfamiliar location. However, a problem with the conventional map-based services is that the planned routes given are based on finding routes with a shortest geographical-distance, without evaluating other factors that may affect driving conditions.
Other approaches attempt to find routes with a shortest travel time based on speed estimation models. The models estimate the speed of a road according to a road type, such as identifying whether the road is an interstate, a four-lane road, or a two-lane road. The problem is that the models do not take account of other factors that affect speed, such as traffic flows.
As the requests for map-based services continue, there is an increasing opportunity to provide the user with more efficient routes.